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Lidia K.

Lidia K. +

Temat: Polish hospitality

Poland is known from its hospitality. Do you agree?

Can you see it changing over the last years?

How do you show/are shown hospitality nowadays?
How do you entertain your guests?*

How different is it in other countries?



*partly inspired by Anna S.' post on the Grudge ;)
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Lidia K.

Lidia K. +

Temat: Polish hospitality

For a start I'll just outline what drives me nuts when visiting family or older people.

They force you to eat.

Or drink (e.g. vodka).

This is when I start being rude. I cannot stand being forced to eat or drink. I had an awful argument with my future father-in-law about his generous offering me alcohol (I wasn't drinking any alcohol then and he knew that very well). The offer was that in fact I had no choice.
He was offended for a long time afterwards. I rejected his hospitality.
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Temat: Polish hospitality

Refusing sounds like a brilliant idea. I wish I'd refused that bowl of czarnina on that fateful day near Starogard Gdansk about eight years ago. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted babcia cackling malevolently as I pretended to enjoy it.
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Temat: Polish hospitality

What is "cackling" ??
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Temat: Polish hospitality

evil laughter. witches cackle
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Temat: Polish hospitality

thanks ;) btw. czarnina? YUCK!! They gave it to me only once when I was 7-8 years old. After first spoon I said that I'll sooner die from hunger than put this thing to my mouth ;P It was the last time when I had czarnina :D

Sorry for OT.
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Temat: Polish hospitality

OT:
Czarnina... As long as I didn't know how it is made I liked it

After visiting Norwey and Sweden, Polish hospitality seems to be just an illusion or maybe a substitute of what other call hospitality.
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Temat: Polish hospitality

I hate being forced to eat, but other than that I think the Polish hospitality stereotype is a wrong one. I don't visit friends or family in Poland too often, and rarely stay overnight; and, since it's only people I'm close to, they know I can be weird and never try any of the "oooooh- you're not eating so you don't like what I've cooked for you" tricks. Still, it all depends on the kind of people you visit - I once had to go to Spain on a very early plane from Warsaw and simply asked people from the "Pręgierz" newsgroup if anyone would be willing to host me. I'll never forget it; it was my birthday so they threw a small party for me, with a birthday cake. Touching. Normally, I prefer staying at a hotel as hate disrupting people's schedules and never feel at ease in someone else's bathroom or, worse still, bed, if they insist I sleep in their bed and they sleep on the couch or in the armchair ;)
My family in France are notorious for making you eat and trying to pamper you till you get sick. I swear, every time I go see them and stay more than a week, I gain at least ten pounds! I love Spanish hospitality, even though it can be a bit overwhelming, as they have a different schedule and you end up having "postres" (dessert) at one in the morning, after a seven-course dinner. I don't mind, as Spanish food tops my list anyway.
As for being a host, well, I can only hope I'm a good one, but it's usually for a good friend staying overnight after we've had a girls' night out, or people who are really close to me. I'll cook as I like it, will most likely make coffee in the morning, and entertain to some extent, depending on how long they are staying. I probably wouldn't stand it if anyone wanted to stay at my place for longer than a week though, most cases.

(I'm having the "Reise fieber" on behalf of my son, and won't be able to sleep tonight, so sorry for ranting)
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Temat: Polish hospitality

What's OT?
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Lidia K.

Lidia K. +

Temat: Polish hospitality

Dave :
What's OT?
abbreviation for Out of Topic
used when digressing
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Lidia K.

Lidia K. +

Temat: Polish hospitality

I've never ever even seen czarnina in my life. Where on earth do you get it? Is it some local food?
After visiting Norwey and Sweden, Polish hospitality seems to be just an illusion or maybe a substitute of what other call hospitality.

Karolina, can you explain the difference?
I heard that it takes years in Scandinavia for neighbours to be invited for a coffee at home, for example. But that's opposite to what you're saying I guess.

What is hospitality?
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Temat: Polish hospitality

Lidia K.:
I've never ever even seen czarnina in my life. Where on earth do you get it? Is it some local food?

It's simply chicken soup with chicken's blood in it. It's added like cream to other soups. No I think it's not local food. Czarnina was even in Pan Tadeusz (Czarna polewka)
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Lidia K.

Lidia K. +

Temat: Polish hospitality

Michał K.:
It's simply chicken soup with chicken's blood in it. It's added like cream to other soups. No I think it's not local food. Czarnina was even in Pan Tadeusz (Czarna polewka)
OK, thanks, I've never had it. I don't eat food with animal blood in it (kaszanka and the like).
I think I know the name of the soup as 'czernina' but it's probably the same. I didn't think it's still eaten by people nowadays. For me it would be something like in Pan Tadeusz' times: very old school ;)
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Temat: Polish hospitality

Lidia K.:
>
Karolina, can you explain the difference?
I heard that it takes years in Scandinavia for neighbours to be invited for a coffee at home, for example. But that's opposite to what you're saying I guess.

What is hospitality?

I think the key word in Karolina's post is "visiting". Scandinavians are indeed very hospitable as long as you're just visiting. But when you decide to stay on, as in "I'm gonna get me a house next to you, Svenssons, and live here" their attitude changes. A lot.

I much rather prefer the Polish version of hospitality, even if as Tatiana pointed out, the stereotype is wrong.Anna E. edytował(a) ten post dnia 26.06.08 o godzinie 11:01
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Lidia K.

Lidia K. +

Temat: Polish hospitality

Anna E.:

Scandinavians are indeed very hospitable as long as you're just visiting. But when you decide to stay on, as in "I'm gonna get me a house next to you, Svenssons, and live here" their attitude changes. A lot.
Anna, pleeeeeeease, go on, and describe it in more detail. :)
Or perhaps you have a blog, an article or something so that I can read on?
I much rather prefer the Polish version of hospitality, even if as Tatiana pointed out, the stereotype is wrong.
So what exactly do you prefer?
I'm not picking on you, I've just realized that the word 'hospitality' is so vague...
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Lidia K.

Lidia K. +

Temat: Polish hospitality

BTW. no PC required here as far as I'm concerned
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Temat: Polish hospitality

Lidia K.:
I've never ever even seen czarnina in my life. Where on earth do you get it? Is it some local food?
After visiting Norwey and Sweden, Polish hospitality seems to be just an illusion or maybe a substitute of what other call hospitality.

Karolina, can you explain the difference?
I heard that it takes years in Scandinavia for neighbours to be invited for a coffee at home, for example. But that's opposite to what you're saying I guess.

What is hospitality?

Well.. If You had have Gradma living in the village, propably You would:)

You're guessing right about Scandinavian hospitality. It's something amazing. And it's just a stereotypical thinking, that Scandinavian people are unfriendly and mistrustful.
When we went there for the first time, we had a similar attitute towards them and it was a great suprise when it appeared that it is just opposite.
Firstly, we were invited for a dinner to perfectly strange people in Sweden, when it turned out, that we had nothing for dinner (and all shops were closed). They also invited us for a breakfast day after, can You imagine that happening in Poland? Also in Norwey people treat each other with a great respect and trust. It's not just hospitality, it's the way of life I think. We were invited for 'a coffee' the same day we arrived, and it wasn't anything bizzarre for them.
It was more strange for us, I think.
I'm very partial in my opinions about Scandinavia couse I really love it and miss it:)
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Lidia K.

Lidia K. +

Temat: Polish hospitality

Karolina F.:
Well.. If You had have Gradma living in the village, propably You would:)
You're right, I have no family in the countryside. In fact I have little experience of the country living :)

One of my early childchood memories was being served WARM freshly milked milk (?) while vising a farmers' family somewhere and I found it disgusting. The smell. They believed they are serving the best thing under the sun.

And then, many years later I used to go to a street market to buy real cream in jugs from farmers. It was expensive but so good!
You're guessing right about Scandinavian hospitality. It's something amazing. And it's just a stereotypical thinking, that Scandinavian people are unfriendly and mistrustful.
>
>
I'm very partial in my opinions about Scandinavia couse I really love it and miss it:)
Thanks, your experience is very interesting :)
In your case these people met your needs, so it wasn't just a social event for them ('a coffee', a fika). It was actually helping you, if I understand correctly the context.

And exactly, trust is not our Polish dominant feature. No strangers for coffee in my house!

I think there is a wide range of hospitality activities in Poland nationwide: town vs. country, living with your parents and on your own, in a student dormitory... And it's changing, hence my initial question.
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Lidia K.

Lidia K. +

Temat: Polish hospitality

Would you ever get 'a coffee invitation' in England/Scotland/Ireland in a similar situation as described by Karolina?
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Temat: Polish hospitality

I don't think you can generalise.

As far as my parents are concerned they are the friendliest, most hospitable people imaginable, particularly to foreigners.

But that's just them.

As England gets progressively less English, people will lose their curiosity towards people from abroad to a greater and greater extent.
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